A Princess's Keepers
by Mona Bonnefoy
Summary: Princess Lillian's kingdom is being attacked, and she escapes her castle, but ends up in the hands of three men, who are thieves on the run, who also all want to get their way with her! There will be several chapters and mature content, so read at your own risk! (I'll be revising the chapters soon!)
1. Chapter 1: Thieves?

"We're already loosing."

With delicate fingers, the small woman sitting in the chair knocked over a few of the flags on the little map sitting in front of her, her eyebrows drawn together in frustration.

"We believe we've already lost Folkert, as well as Shinsei."

She stiffened. "...What do you b..believe would be the best course of action.. Sir Knight?"

"We need to get you out of the castle. Francis and Arsenius will not draw their armies back so quickly."

She gripped the arms of her chair tight in her hands, her knuckles growing white. "So all is lost, then?" Tears that had been held back began streaming down her innocent features. "All is lost and there is nothing you can do about it?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Lillian. The best of your guard are waiting to escort you from the castle."

"So be it." She rose, and ran out of the firelit room, her shoes making almost no noise on the stone floors. She headed into her bedroom, grabbing for her diary.

_ 'I have to leave the castle, the invasion was too much for us to handle. Rest in peace, Folkert, Shinsei. You will never leave my memories.' _She prayed that would not be her last diary entry.

Lillian began to shove her most precious things into a small sack, quickly readying herself. She headed out of her room, and down some corridors before coming to a dead end. A single candlestick holder was attached to the wall, with no candle attached. She grabbed it, and pulled it down like a lever. Creaking and groaning, the wall slid down into the floor below.

"Your majesty, we must hurry."

"Yessir." She picked up her dress a bit, making haste down the corridors, getting spiderwebs and dust all over her, and even tearing her dress a bit. By the time they reached the exit, she looked like a peasant that roamed the streets rather than a princess.

The knights said their goodbyes to her, one of them giving her a long dagger that she could place on the inside of her boot, where it could be unsheathed if needed. She headed off, and as they had told her, there was a cart waiting for her at the path.

She leapt in, pulling the cover down over her, and felt a jerk as it began to move. She covered herself in the animal furs, deciding it was best to stop worrying and instead sleep.

_'At the next stop I get out, and then one of my soldiers will tell me what to do from there.' _She ran the escape plan through her head over and over as she drifted to sleep.


	2. Prolouge: Escaping the Castle

"Alright, both of you! Knock it off!"

"Gilbert, come on! Let's see what we got!"

Lily's eyes opened just a bit as she heard voices outside of her cart. She yawned, beginning to rub her eyes. The cart opened, and she was blinded by sunlight.

"...Vash?"

"What, what is it?" A grouchy voice came.

"There's... A girl in the back of our cart."

As her eyes adjusted to the light, Lily saw three bewildered men staring down at her. One of them had white hair and frighteningly red eyes. Another was blonde, with one stubborn hair sticking out from the front of his hair. The third, who stepped barely into her view, was a blonde male with hair down to his chin, neatly cut around his face. All three of them looked surprised to see her.

"Who are you?" She asked softly, yawning again.

"...I think the question is, who are _you_?" The blonde with the stubborn hair squeaked, looking a bit nervous.

"I'm Lillian. Are you my knights? Are you going to help me get farther away from the battle?"

The blonde with the long hair gasped, becoming a bit flustered. "You two! We... This... Is the princess. Princess Lillian."

The albino turned to him, a shocked look on his face. "W..Wha- No way, Vash, no way. You've certainly got the wrong girl. We can't have the princess!"

The boy supposedly named Vash shook his head. "We have her."

Alfred looked shocked. "What do we do now?!"

Lily blinked. These men... Were they thieves? She blinked a few times, watching them bicker about what to do with her. She tried to choke out a few words, but ended up choking out a sob, turning away as a few tears ran down her face. Suddenly, Vash ran up, silencing the men, and placed a hand on her shoulder, which was quickly smacked away. He didn't cringe, but instead put down the back panel of the cart, leaning down to see her face.

"..Your majesty?"

Lillian turned away, slapping his hands away when he tried to touch her face. "Why THIS?" She screamed, burying her face into the pelts on the floor of the wagon.

She heard Vash grind his teeth together in frustration, growling under his breath. He reached over and patted her back, but she didn't bother smacking him away. She was stuck with him now, until she escaped.

"Well shit," The albino muttered, sitting down on the edge of the cart. "I told you we should have grabbed the other cart."

Lily turned to them, rubbing her red eyes. She didn't say anything, but saw the guilty looks on their faces.

Suddenly, Vash, the one beside her, seemed to have an idea. "What if... Your kingdom is being attacked, right?" He asked her, placing his hand over hers. "You'll be totally safe with us. Who would suspect a princess to be traveling with a group of theives?"

Lillian sniffed, considering his idea for a second. "T...True. You won't... hurt me... will you?" She easily gave in, no other options besides running.

"Plus, I don't think we can give you up so easily," The other blonde said, smiling in a silly way. "We don't want you dead!"

Lily nodded, turning and looking around at all three of them. "...What are your names?"

"I'm Gilbert," The albino smiled in a soft way, reaching out for her hand, which he shook roughly.

"I'm Vash," Lily nodded, and he patted her gently on the back in a caring way.

"And I'm Alfred!" The boy with the single stubborn part of his hair leapt up onto the cart, sitting beside her and putting an arm over her shoulders, smiling. "I'll keep you safe, because I'm the hero!"

Lillian rubbed her eyes again, nodding. "If you take good care of me... My grandfather and brother's sacrifices will not have been in vain."


End file.
